Clothing by UniqloIf you are fascinated by Japanese minimalism and wish it was part of every facet of your life, including clothes, then there’s good news for you.
Japanese casual wear clothing giant Uniqlo is opening its first store in India, at Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj, in October. Yukihiro Katsuta, head of research and development at the company, elaborates on the India plans during his visit to the country:
You have more than 2,000 international stores, what took so long for the brand to enter India ?
India is an important part of our global expansion and we felt this is the right time in terms of the market and our company’s growth strategy. Right now, our top priority is to learn from customers in Delhi, and make our first three stores here a success.
What do you think are the biggest changes that you have noticed in the fashion industry in the last decade?
The biggest change is how consumers emphasise on ‘value’, not the monetary term but the best value for the quality and whether it meets their needs or dreams.
Yukihiro KatsutaIf you could elaborate on Uniqlo’s policy of comfortable ‘LifeWear’?
First established in Japan in 1984, the name ‘Uniqlo’ is an abbreviation for the words ‘Unique’ and ‘clothing,’. Over the years we have introduced unique items of clothing. LifeWear is simple, high quality, everyday clothing with a practical sense of beauty.
Uniqlo has helmed several CSR initiatives globally and in India you are working with Afghan refugees. If you could tell us a bit about that?
Our holding company, Fast Retailing, operates a clothing-recycling programme, known as the All-Product Recycling Initiative. Second-hand clothes collected from customers at stores have been donated to refugees and those displaced since 2006. Since 2016, we have been partnering with UNCHR to support refugees in India through various programmes, including the Refugee Empowering Project.
Where do you stand on the global demand for sustainable fashion?
Our company aims to increase the content of recycled materials in our products. With this, we will lower our environmental impact. The recycling of fibers reduces dependency on natural resources and eases landfilling.
